Monday, August 16, 2010

NEWS RELEASE -- SD Unified Test Scores Gain for Fourth Straight Year

NEWS RELEASE from the San Diego Unified School District, August 16, 2010

SD UNIFIED TEST SCORES GAIN FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR

Achievement Gap Narrows in Some Areas; Work Still Needed

SAN DIEGO &lsqauo; San Diego Unified¹s results on 2010 state tests show across theboard gains for the fourth straight year, with more students than everranking ³advanced² in their subject knowledge.

The results of the annual California Standards Test released today show thedistrict has five straight years of overall gains in English language artsand science scores, while math continues a four-year climb.

This good news is tempered by recognition that scores still show an³achievement gap² among ethnic groups. Data relating to the achievement gap&lsqauo; test scores among ethnic groups &lsqauo; is still being analyzed, but earlyresults show the gap is narrowing in some areas, albeit slowly.

³We need to salute our students first, who have been working very hard tolearn the skills they¹ll need for the future,² said Superintendent BillKowba. ³Our teachers and staff also deserve recognition for a job welldone.²

Growth continued in the three subject areas. In English Language Arts,overall scores show 29 percent of the students proficient and 27 percent areadvanced &lsqauo; up from 23 percent in 2009 &lsqauo; while 26 percent had a basic skilllevel, down 1 percent from 2009. Below basic and far below basic levels alsodeclined. Students with an advanced level of mathematics grew 2 percent to23 percent and those considered proficient remained at 25 percent; basicwent up one point to 23, while below basic and far below basic declined to20 and 8 respectively.

Science scores rose as well, up 8 points to 30 percent advanced, whileproficient remained at 27 percent; students with a basic level dropped twopoints to 24 percent, while below basic dropped 2 points to 11 percent andfar below basic was down 2 points to 9 percent.

³These gains in student achievement have come during a period when ourdistrict has sustained unprecedented budget cuts,² said Kowba. ³But even inthe face of draconian budget cuts, schools throughout the district have beenmaking gains in student achievement with a community-based reform processthat encourages teacher collaboration, data-driven teaching strategies, abroad curriculum and strong behavioral standards and support for students.²

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